Japan Tobacco (Tokyo) and the British life sciences giant AstraZeneca (London) are in discussions to set up a joint venture to develop genetically modified agricultural products in Japan. Using AstraZeneca's expertise in agricultural biotechnology, Japan Tobacco aims to develop new varieties of rice—first with superior taste for human consumption, and second for livestock feed—which the joint venture will market globally. The company is currently developing genetically modificed rice with low protein content for use in sake brewing. The firm is also participating in the Rice Genome Project, an international program aimed at sequencing the rice genome by 2010. The new joint venture, which is expected to be set up before the end of the year, will use data from this project to develop products, according to Japan Tobacco. Financial details have not been disclosed.